Creatures of the Wind

Monastic fantastic. That's the look Creatures of the Wind's Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters appeared to be going for this season. On the one hand, they were interested in "easy Eastern dress and non-Western patternmaking." On the other, the designers said they were eager to push the luxury quotient of their three-year-old label. Clashing instincts, to be sure, but the results came together smashingly on a black wool robe coat bisected high on the waist by a wide swath of Saga mink, and again on a sleeveless wrap dress in mustard silk jacquard with a vivid border in teal. Transcendence would be harder to achieve under the folds of a circular-cut cape and full-length overcoat; like some of the looks here, that outfit felt too heavy. Elsewhere, though, there were pieces that struck a finer balance. An elongated tunic that hugged the thighs over a wispy skirt seemed like a winner in the wake of Phoebe Philo's Spring Céline collection. A shrunken blazer in that mustard and teal jacquard looked great over a blouse and cropped trousers. Whatever their proclivities for the East this season, Gabier and Peters excel at traditional Western tailoring. And a mauve velvet split-front jumpsuit was as elegant as it was effortless—the kind of combination a girl can really believe in.